Introduction to database: MYSQL, MS ACCESS, Pharmacy Drug Database

    Database refers to a collection of electronic records that could be processed to produce useful information. A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored and accessed electronically from a computer system. Where databases are more complex they are often developed using formal design and modeling techniques. The data can be accessed, modified, managed, controlled and organized to perform various data-processing operations.

     The data is typically indexed across rows, columns and tables that make workload processing and data querying efficient. There are different types of databases: Object-oriented, Relational, Distributed, Hierarchical, Network and others. In enterprise applications, databases involve mission-critical, security-sensitive and compliance-focused record items that have complicated logical relationships with other datasets and grow exponentially over time as the userbase increases. As a result, these organizations require technology solutions to maintain, secure, manage and process the data stored in databases. This is where Database Management System come into play.

MS Access Database:

   Microsoft Access is a database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications, included in the Professional and higher editions or sold separately. 

    Database objects are the main players in an Access database. Altogether, we have six different types of database objects. From these we'll use Table to create database Tables store information. Tables are the heart of any database, and you can create as many tables as you need to store different types of information. A fitness database could track your daily running log, your inventory of exercise equipment, and the number of high-protein whey milkshakes you down each day, as three separate tables.

 Important point to remember

You can customize a table in two ways:

• Design view lets you precisely define all aspects of a table before you start using it.
• Datasheet view is where you enter data into a table. Datasheet view also lets you build a table on the fly as you insert new information.

MySQL Database

    MySQL is a fast, easy-to-use RDBMS being used for many small and big businesses. MySQL is developed, marketed and supported by MySQL AB, which is a Swedish company. MySQL is becoming so popular because of many good reasons −

• MySQL is released under an open-source license. So you have nothing to pay to use it.
• MySQL is a very powerful program in its own right. It handles a large subset of the functionality of the most expensive and powerful database packages.
• MySQL uses a standard form of the well-known SQL data language.
• MySQL works on many operating systems and with many languages including PHP, PERL, C, C++, JAVA, etc.
• MySQL works very quickly and works well even with large data sets.
• MySQL is very friendly to PHP, the most appreciated language for web development.
• MySQL supports large databases, up to 50 million rows or more in a table. The default file size limit for a table is 4GB, but you can increase this (if your operating system can handle it) to a theoretical limit of 8 million terabytes (TB).
• MySQL is customizable. The open-source GPL license allows programmers to modify the MySQL software to fit their own specific environments.

Pharmacy Drug Databases

   Drug databases and web resources play a very important role in the pharmaceutical field. Check out this lesson to learn all about these databases and resources and how they can benefit a pharmacist.
   Drug databases are sites where information about drugs and medications are stored, and one of the largest (and most commonly used) drug databases is compiled by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is a federal agency that oversees and controls all medications in the U.S., which includes:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medications
• Prescription medications
• Dietary supplements
• Vaccines

   The FDA drug database includes most of the drugs they have approved in the U.S. since 1939. Best of all, this database is extremely easy to use. To search this database, you simply need to go to the FDA drug databases website. Once you get to this website, you are able to search the database by typing in the name of the drug or by typing in any active ingredient of a drug.
    Additionally, the FDA drug database can be used to search drugs that are currently going through clinical trials and/or the approval process. The FDA must approve a drug before it is legally able to be sold and used in the U.S. Therefore, drug companies must formally submit an application to the FDA for the drug to be approved. The drugs that have not been submitted to the FDA but not yet approved can be found in this database.